The representation of multilingualism in dubbing and subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH)

Abstract

Multilingualism serves an important function in the characterization of an audiovisual product; thus, its representation in translations demands scientific attention. The task of rendering multilingualism in translation becomes more complicated when no or limited access to the original audio content is possible. This being so, this study investigates the representation of multilingualism in English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) and Persian dubbing of four polyglot films. It examines and discusses the strategies adopted by translators in eight translations, both the SDH and dubbed versions. The results indicate that translators employ a variety of solutions and strategies to tackle challenges and render the third language (L3), but still dubbing tends to neutralize L3 in most instances. In the case of SDH, L3 was made explicit, but the high frequency of homogenising strategies and the loss of L3 in the translations were noticeable. These results could be of use for both cinema and translation professionals and non-professionals, particularly for enhancing media accessibility (MA) for the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) community, besides adding to the body of studies on the translation of multilingualism.